Wine is a gift topper this festive season

Moving away from traditional festival gifts like sweets, cakes and dry fruits, Chandigarhians have found a fresh and innovative concept of gifting beautifully-packed wines, scotches and champagnes to their friends and corporate honchos. The trend has picked up fast this festive season and, not to miss the bonanza of cashing in on the sudden shift in gift pattern ahead of the festive season, wine companies are flooding swanky stores with any number of these exclusive gifts.

Ajay Gothwal, marketing manager of a Gurgaon-based wine company, said high-flying professionals and officials had turned big time towards gifting aesthetically-packed wines. "Taking this into account, companies have started making one or two-bottle packs to attract festive buyers," he added.

Another wine company representative said, " Corporate gifting is a big business and wine has been the latest addition to it. Earlier, the most popular gifts included chocolates, scotches, whiskies, but wine is something new in the trend."

Fed up with gifting sweets, fruits, dry fruits and other bakery items to the friends and relatives during the festive season, city's leading industrialist MPS Chawla, said, "People have started disliking sweets due to health reasons. Even dry fruits, cakes and chocolates have gone out of fashion. The time has come to gift low-alcohol wines, scotches and champagnes to your dear friends and corporate colleagues." Another socialite, requesting anonymity, reasoned that wine gifting also reflects a businessman's standing. "If you are planning it in a big way, you can have your logo and a personalized handwritten note on the bottles. Nothing can be more pleasing than a customized message," he added.

According to a city-based swanky liquor store owner, "Gifting of wine bottles can be in different shapes and budgets. You can gift a set of one bottle with one glass and so on."

Gothwal said festival wine gift hampers could be packed in beautifully-designed baskets, boxes or wine bags.

"You can be imaginative in your approach. Silk bags, jute bags, paper bags, wooden boxes, etc, are some of the examples. If you want to be little funny and witty, then there are funny accessories like wine stoppers, in different shapes and sizes."

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Asda sued over frog in wine bottle

Isolde Beesley says the small frog fell out of the bottle of Spanish wine and into her glass during a family celebration. Ms Beesley, from Leicestershire, says she has suffered stomach pains ever since the incident and has hired lawyers to pursue a claim for compensation.

Asda, who took the Moscatel de Valencia wine off the shelves as a precaution while it conducted an investigation, says it has rigorous inspection procedures in its bottling plants and that it is ‘virtually impossible’ for a frog to enter a wine bottle during the bottling process.

Ms Beesley bought the wine on 23 December last year and opened it on Boxing Day. She has since handed in the frog and bottle to her local environmental health department for analysis
Asda said it was taking the case ‘very seriously’.

A spokeswoman for Asda said: 'We have fully investigated this issue with our suppliers and found no inadequacies with the bottling process and no pests were present at the factory.'

'We can only apologise to the customer that they had a bad experience with our wine and itis something we will watch out for in the future.'

Ms Beesley’s solicitor, Michael Connor, partner at TPS Solicitors, said:‘Mrs Beesley clearly had a contract with Asda who are under a duty by virtue of the Sale of Goods Act to make sure the wine was fit to drink.'‘Clearly, selling a bottle of wine apparently contaminated with a deadfrog makes the wine unfit for consumption.’

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Auction sobers view on wine price

The 139 buyers spent a total of R3.8-million, 25% less than last year, on the 39 wines on offer. Spread over 19 types and styles, this year's auction, held at Spier Wine Estate, offered a record 13 white wines. The total volume under the hammer was similar to last year, and all the wines cases - 2298 - were sold.

Brisk bidding for Etienne le Riche's Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon Auction Reserve 2006 kick-started the auction, going under the hammer at R3800 for a case of six. The highest price achieved for a case was Peter Finlayson's Bouchard Finlayson Unfiltered Pinot Noir 2007(1.5-litre bottles) at R5 100 - R100 less than last year. Other top selling red wines were Dewaldt Heyns' Saronsberg Die Erf Shiraz 2007 at R4500 a case and Abrie Beeslaar's maiden auction wine, Kanonkop CWG Paul Sauer 2007, at R3700.

Czech Republic restaurateur Zdenek Lang paid R16000 for this year's charity item, a 12-litre blend of top 2007 vintage wines from the 41 members of the Cape Winemakers' Guild.

"There was no crazy bidding going on, and I suspect some of the restaurants and retail buyers were working together [to avoid driving up prices], said Edgebaston winemaker David Finlayson. "This year's prices are a market correction after the highs of last year."

Cape Winemakers Guild chairman Johan Malan said the auction was a reflection of the state of the economy.

"Last year we were pleasantly surprised with our best auction ever, the mood was positive prior to the World Cup. Now the reality of supply and demand is clearly visible."

The lower prices were also attributed to the increase in the number of white wines on auction.

"High prices are an ego thing. I am pleased that more of my wines were on auction this year and they were cheaper, meaning more people will get to drink them," said Adi Badenhorst of AA Badenhorst Family Wines.

More than 80% of the wine was bought by 110 local buyers, with 29 overseas buyers registered. Alan Pick of The Butcher Shop and Grill triumphed for the 9th consecutive year as the biggest spender - R644600. The biggest overseas buyers came from the UK, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Belgium, Denmark, Namibia, Canada, Czech Republic, the US and Germany.

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Epcot International Food & Wine Festival

The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is an autumn special event that transforms Epcot Theme Park into a food and wine lover's paradise with specialty food items, culinary events, sophisticated parties and live musical entertainment.

Try delicious regional foods, wines and beers from around the world at special marketplaces set up along World Showcase Promenade. Learn from renowned chefs and winemakers at special programs and demonstrations, and sample the finest cuisine from around the globe at spectacular culinary events. When you arrive at Epcot, visit the Festival Welcome Center to plan your day. Then you'll also find the Festival Wine Shop and the Wonders Bar¿where you can purchase champagne and wine or attend official book signings with celebrity chefs and authors. The Stockpot shop offers marvelous merchandise, including the collectable marketplace cookbook. Plus, there is more to do than just enjoying great food and beverage. Enjoy the Eat to the Beat concert series and unwind with a stellar lineup of celebrated musical acts.

In 2010, the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, presented by Vanity Fair, makes its grand return, transforming the theme park into a destination filled with the world's tastiest regional foods and drinks, rockin' concerts, and unforgettable sensory experiences. Guests will delight in tantalizing new additions ¿ from the robust and exotic flavors of Belgium & South Korea to world-class performers like Taylor Dayne, Billy Ocean and 38 Special... who will take the stage at the Festival for the very first time!

Epcot Theme Park admission is required. Some Epcot International Food & Wine Festival events require ticket fees in addition to admission to Epcot. Availability is limited for some events. Events may be rescheduled or cancelled at any time.

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Epcot’s 15th annual International Food and Wine Festival kicks off Today

Walt Disney World guests can sip great wines, savor new tastes and enjoy live entertainment all day long as the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival celebrates 15 years of Delicious Discoveries begins on Oct. 1, continuing daily through Nov. 14, 2010.

The six-week outdoor festival at Disney’s Epcot theme park serves up authentic cuisine; wine, beer and spirits; entertainment; and cultural exhibits of more than 25 international regions. Exotic marketplaces from South Korea to Belgium offer exciting taste treats. The festival is the largest food and wine event of its kind in the world, beginning at the Festival Welcome Center in Future World and fanning around the promenade encircling World Showcase Lagoon.But if you can’t wait until tomorrow to sample food and wine from around the world, an unannounced festival “soft opening” takes place today from 1 -- 8pm around the World Showcase. It’s a great way to try out the dishes without waiting in the long lines that opening weekend brings annually.

Here are some facts about the 15th annual event:

· More than 300 national and international wines

· 45 fabulous days long

· More than 75 kinds of international foods, each appetizer-sized portion priced $3-$8

· More than 270 chefs including America’s most celebrated culinarians and Walt Disney World chefs

· 405 wine and beer seminars

· More than 1,200 fireworks rockets exploding each night over World Showcase Lagoon in“IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth” grand finale to the festival

· 135 Eat to the Beat! concerts performed

· 33,000 bottles of wine and champagne

· 690,000 sumptuous samplings

· 338,000 wine glasses

· 100,000 desserts including freshly baked waffles with berry compote and whipped cream (Belgium marketplace), pear streusel pudding cake (Desserts & Champagne marketplace) and chocolate cannoli (Italy marketplace)

· 3,000 gallons of soup, including best-selling cheddar cheese soup (Canada marketplace), chicken soup with rice (Puerto Rico marketplace) and bison chili with wild mushrooms (United States marketplace)

Browsing the International Food and Wine Festival is included with Epcot admission, but each small plate of food costs roughly $2 -- $6. Each booth accepts cash and credit cards for easy feasting.

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